Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-03-20
OUR NEIGHBOR NORTH
ANALYSIS OF The CANADIAN CONFSDERA,
TON.
Neither RspubIs Enarrfy, Crown Colony Nor
DsPendsnry-E1ssudr Power Centralized.
TCuraIy' al RsSiglIng.
-Wmt Of CIniienee.-
SpsaA correspondence 'thE S4afGy ResuST-
VIM 'BG, MAN, Feb. %.

pGA DrTsfpOHdeHcG hG SHad1y ReGL1a.
VIM nBG, MAN, Feb. %.
Along the cntiT northern and north
eastern boundary # the United States
1880 miles from EaIuax to Vancouver
lea q county, which. Is tar a its inhabit-
ed sections e almost answers the geomet
rIca definition nfa ine-extension with
out breadth or thickness. This inhabited
belt Is nowhere 900 niles WIDE; here and
there long PROJECTIONS lrom the northern
waste reach Ia down IGto 1t, and twice
l. lu cus entirely, BY the Rocky mountains
u by that vast rUcky and wooded
Wilderness which covers the La4rentian
tateaU from Lake s. gperiOr Ia The Arctic
ocean. Back Ct toe 'ertIle belt the great
north lanl, ricI ii fur, In aud feather: and
on the Clnadlan Pacific galway re strung,
like beads IL 8 string, The seven pro rces
IN thus order Prime EiwarI Island. Nova
Scotia, Nv brurswIck, Quebec, Ontario,
Manitoba md BRUSH Columbia. The ter
ritOr Is AT Alberta, A~SsinibOia. keewat-
tin, Athah sea aud saskatchewan.
Over th vast egiOn, including some
$500 900 I les and 5000, 900 people. Il a
goyernmeIt from which there Is no exact
precedent in history and scarcely in the
vagaries OF political speculation. 1t is not
a republic, 1t Is not q monarchy and it Ger
tainly is not \ crown colony or complete
colonial dependency; it has some of the
features OF u own territorial governments
many more of Our Federal system and
a few more British than the
British cOlstitu ion. So far. how
ever, II has proved lutte as eXtravagant a.
any republic, and its debt is already three
times rs large in proportion TO population
Us that OF the United States. The big
land grants vie with those Of the United
States, and the great railroad Is so init
mately connected with the Government,
the same men being potent in both. that A
stranger TO their constitution is at first at
q loss to decide whether the road is the
Government or the Government the road.
or either ia both.
This government IS called by the some
what vague name of the DOminion-a
phrase conveying bu5 little knowledge to
IN american. Its purely British features
are these: The GOyernOr4General il an
pointed by the Queen, and he takes an
oath Il govern according to the laws of the
Dominion, with the advice of Her Males
ty ; urivy council n Canada. But a. il il
understood that a prlvy councillor is to re-
sign whenever the House OF Commons dis
agrees With him, this practically makes
tha; a democratic body. The Governor
Genera appoints \ Lieutenant Governor for
each province and all the Judges of all
Courts from Supreme To Probate. He also,
with advice, appoints the SenatOrSr so the
whole power OF constructing and enforcing
the laws Is virtually IN the hands Of one
man, and he appointed by Queen Victoria.
But the people through their Parliaments
have a right to peutlDu against the Cover
nor General and withhold supplies, while
The Queen has the right to send another
Just like him or worse. Thus all the higher
executive and cOuTt officials are practically
officers Of the crown.
The Democratic features are these:
Each province enjoys a sort OF home rule.
ana the House OF Commons It Ottawa Is
elected by the people at large. And in
the present Parliament the Provinces have
these: Ontario, - Quebec. 10; New
Brunswick, Is, Nova Scotia. u: Prince
Edward Island, Is, British Columbia, 6.
and Manitoba, ). 50 there IS about IL
much variation in this realm ~ between
Nevada and New York for representa-
ton, or Rhode IslInC and Texas Tor size.
This Is still based On the CELSIUS Of ISL.
when the population stood. Ontario.
l,9-&, 22S; Quebec, l,359, U27, New Bruins
wick. 81, 233; Nova Scotia. HOSP.
I Div. L. yrt- ~ f5l,r.N I'M -IT. AT...-l.
6j, gj4, and British Columbia, ~. 100. But
at that time Winnipeg was but q village,
and dozens of little cities in this pro-
vince were not even founded: 50 Manitoba
now claims a population OF 10, 900 at
least, and wants lar more representation.
The House OF Commons Is elected for
ive years. unless sooner dissolved" and
has most Of the powers II our House Of
Representatives,. and tome whl,l the latter
has not. But IN certain contingencies the
Governor General, IN the advice Of his
prlry council, can dissolve the House and
send the members back e. their cOnstitu-
eUtS 10 try the minds OF the people"
7 Eut Of tue House he elects a Prime Minis
ter, who selects twelve others for heads
OF the vlTous departments, and those
. NblAMllNAAN GAt NAtHAi'ls ~ VI At-lIiA4ilH
when their measures are Defeated in the
house, and in all matters Of etiquette and
precedence, the English system is followed
~ lar ~ rs applicable. And when I
member becomes a cabinet officer il Is eN-
pected that,he will - before his cOnstitu-
ents again at the earliest opportunity,
that they may express their feelings on his
acceptance OF office. Ii they do not ap-
prove, courtesy requires that he resign at
once. Indeed, there Is 40 much ''cOur-
tesy " and 'resIgning in the system that
one can see with halt an eye that it would
not suit rs Americans at all.
All this makes it seem like m exceed
ingiy popular and flexible constitution,
but between the crowns representative
and the House Of Commons Is I~nterposed 4
very peculiarly constituted body. designed,
| suppose, to operate ~ ! sort Of buffer
and prevent unpleasant s~uddenneSs. This
is called the Senate, but the members are
not elected. The only prescribed qualii-
cations are that one must be 50 years
OF age and own $1,000 clear Of
debt; but they are supposed 10
be selected for character and ex-
perlence in public affairs. Their number
can never exceed e~ighty-twO, and fifteen,
with their Speaker, constitute a quorum
a plain Indication that they are not ex-
pected to be on duty continuously. They
are appointed by the Governor General and
hold for life. Ii they choose to DO 80 they
can arbitrarily refuse to pass any bill COM
ing from the commons, and similarly the
Governor General has the veto power; but
it Is tacitlv understood that neither party
Is 10 exercise it, j. II. BEADLE.